Unfortunately, the encounter rate is sky high and will test your patience as you can sometimes take only two or three steps between battles. This tedium is exacerbated by battles that are often artificially lengthened by your characters' inability to reach enemies on the battlefield, forcing you to rely on magic attacks more often than you'd like. Depending on the enemies you encounter, your party begins many battles with random status effects, such as poison or blind. Furthermore, your weakest party member is often the most fiercely targeted. These tactics, combined with the enemies' ability to get in one last attack even after they have been defeated, make some fights feel unfairly balanced. Although there are a number of boss battles, epic fights with giant bosses are uncommon, and both are more often a battle of attrition than strategy.
Battles usually force you to rely on magic rather than physical attacks.
Aesthetically, Black Sigil could sit alongside the great 2D RPGs of the Super Nintendo era. The design obviously does not take full advantage of the DS's hardware, but it still holds its own thanks to its attractive art style. Although the overworld map is plain and nondescript, individual environments are unique and colorful, giving character to each town, dungeon, or forest. The game's varied tunes also help distinguish the environments and give each area its own identity. Even the best RPG soundtracks can become grating over time, but you'll find Black Sigil's music a perfect fit for its retro style. In particular, the battle and town themes are so catchy that they'll stick with you after you've turned off your DS.
Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled is an easy recommendation for old-school RPG fans who have put some time into any of the recent DS releases of such classic franchises as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, or Chrono Trigger. If you enjoy grinding away at random battles in the shoes of a reticent protagonist trying to save the world, you'll certainly have fun here. Unfortunately, it is this strict adherence to convention and lack of innovation that will turn casual fans away from Black Sigil.
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